Who would steal a little Yorkshire terrier?

Michaela Wolfe wants to know, and says if someone offers you one, odds are he or she already has a home and is missing it dearly.

Wolfe, who lives on Dewdney Trunk Road and 245th Street, lost her dog Benny, Friday afternoon around 5:30 p.m.

Benny’s a timid little guy and wouldn’t leave the fenced yard, which is secure and offers no means of getting out anyways, says Wolfe.

She thinks he’s been stolen and remembers seeing a black SUV nearby.

“Somebody’s probably taking them to resell them,” she said.

Benny was taken despite the fact that her two other dogs weren’t touched. He’s black, tan and white and has a tattoo number on his belly. If you see him Wolfe would like you to call her at 778-888-1557.

Wolfe reported the theft to the SPCA then on Monday called veterinary clinics and learned other Yorkshire terriers were missing in Richmond.

A spokesperson at Alouette Animal Hospital said a notice about Kaylie, a three-year-old, came in Monday morning after the dog was lost near No. 4 Road and Williams Road. A man in a blue mini-van was seen picking him up.

And Cinderella, another Yorkie, has been missing since July 11.

But according to the branch manager of the Maple Ridge SPCA, animal thefts make up a miniscule number of dog disappearances, maybe one per cent.

Usually, dogs just wander off and become stray, something that’s more likely to happen if they haven’t been spayed, said Mark Vosper. When an animal is spayed, it also gets an ear tattoo, which helps in tracking it, while spaying also makes the dog less attractive to possible thieves.

Vosper hadn’t heard of any dog theft ring in the Lower Mainland nor of any reports of coyotes in the area.

“Basically, it’s up to the owners to look after them.”

• This year, the SPCA is holding its first Paws for a Cause, Sunday, Sept. 13 at Allco Park at the north end of 248th Street.

It’s the first time the event will be held in Maple Ridge because the SPCA no longer has a Coquitlam facility.

The fundraiser will feature a walk in the park, for which people can collect pledges to help raised money for the SPCA shelter. A barbecue, live band, dog agility display will be part of the activities from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. A Scottish piper will start off the walk. The goal is $30,000.